You’ve spent the past several weeks or months trying to build your skills. Most nights were spent in front of your PC burning the midnight oil. Now it’s time to prepare and land that TECH job you’ve been eyeing.

Below I’ve compiled some resources to assist you:

CV and resumes that stand out.

What should you include in your resume?

• Highlight your Hard and Soft skills.

  • How have you used your tech skills? Have you built a project?
  • Have you been able to solve any technical or business problems using your skills?

• Work History

  • This includes→ volunteering, hackathons, apprenticeships, and work experience
  • Quantify the work you did using bullet points, use the X by Y by Z formula by Google: “Accomplished as measured by [Y], by doing [Z].” Learn more at

  Google Recruiters Say Using the ‘X-Y-Z Formula’ on Your Resume Will Improve Your Odds of Getting Hired at Google

  • Have a one-page CV. Focus on the quantifiable experience and job description

• Proofread your resume and have it reviewed; use the following tools 👇

  • Optimize Your Resume and Boost Interview Chances - Jobscan

  • Resume Worded - Free instant feedback on your resume and LinkedIn profile

  • Hemingway Editor

  • Grammarly

Other resources that can help you:

• Start in tech as an intern - Microsoft Learn

• Six Principles Your Resume Should Follow - So Recruiters Will Read It

• 40 Words to Spice Up Your Developer Resume

Portfolio

Why not go a notch higher and build your portfolio? Here are some tips from Emma Bostian to guide you: How to build a porfolio](https://dev.to/emmabostian/how-to-build-a-great-technical-portfolio-53bb)

Where can you host your portfolio? - Github Pages | Azure Static Web Apps | Netlify | surge.sh | Heroku | Microsoft Azure etc.

Questions to ask yourself as you prepare your portfolio:

• Is your portfolio easy to navigate?
• Do you have screenshots?
• Do you have a source code?
• Is your source code clean and, when appropriate, commented?
• Do you still understand it?
• Are you prepared to talk about this project in an interview setting?

Cover Letters

A few notes: go straight to the point, be authentic and ensure there are no grammar mistakes. You can review more here: developer-cover-letter

Data Structures and Algorithms

Having basic knowledge in data structures, algorithms, system design and other Computer Science Fundamentals is essential when applying for technical Software Engineering related jobs. How can you do this? How can you improve your skills in this area?

• 7 steps to improve your data structure and algorithm skills

Here are some resources and links you can use to develop your skills in this area:

• Hacker rank Challenges at https://www.hackerrank.com/
• Solve a challenge daily - https://www.dailycodingproblem.com/
• Explore Leet code - https://leetcode.com/

Social Media and Branding

Trying to build a specific tone, character, and image of yourself online might be very tiring and in the end, you might lose yourself. However, having a mission and values to guide you to become a better version of yourself, both online and offline is essential.

💡 One of the best ways to build your brand is by going the extra mile in whatever you do. Show up and do better than you do your best.

While keeping ensuring your brand is on point, the starting point is your about. How do you describe yourself? What keywords should you include? First, before updating your profile: look for some job descriptions that match your skills. Search how recruiters describe the job that you want. From there, match your profile to the same.

Here is how you can curate your brand:

• Create and update your GitHub:
  • Update your GitHub ReadMe
  • Highlight your projects
• Update your LinkedIn profile
  • Updating your LinkedIn profile
  • What Recruiters see in your LinkedIn
  • Make your LinkedIn stand out
    • Other resources - SelfMadeMillennial
• Create an elevator pitch. If you had 30 seconds or less to introduce yourself to your future employer, what would you say?
• Network → Guide to networking
• Create your bio

Interviews

Confidence. It is the ability to believe in what you know and accept what you don’t know. Confidence is a required skill for interviews. Ensure you are aware of your skills vs the employer’s needs. Prepare yourself, have at least two projects you can talk about and do adequate research on your employer.

The questions you can ask your interviewer: technical on the role, business question on the company and personal question to the interviewer. Take notes before and during the interview. Below are resources to help you navigate inteviews:

• Acing a technical interview
• Salary Negotiation
• Dealing with rejection after your interview.
• YouTube Prep Playlist → Have an interview soon? Interview Questions and Answers ✓

STAR interview technique of answering questions: STAR stands for situation, task, action and result. Below are ways you can learn more about the method and how to use it to answer questions:

• How to Use the STAR Interview Method to Get the Job
• How To Use the STAR Interview Response Technique

Questions to ask during your interview

Other Job Search Resources

• Using Google to get a new job - from searching for a new job, polishing your CV and finally interviewing techniques you can practice. Use Google to Get a New Job

• Dice job board

• Glassdoor

• Design internships

• Learning and building in public

• Cracking the coding interview book

• Interview guidance | Microsoft Careers

• Crush your Interview GADS Series

• Get Ahead in Finding a Job After College Learning Path

• Handling interviews and updating your LinkedIn

• Creating a stunning GitHub Profile

• Importance-of-self-branding-for-developers

• what-does-trusting-your-gut-look-like

• what-is-the-best-time-to-join-a-startup-as-a-software-engineer